With Mirabai Starr

April 5 - 6, 2019

Vancouver

As the fierce and tender voice of the feminine rises again, we are gifted with renewed access to the women mystics and wisdom beings across spiritual traditions. Engage in contemplative readings, group reflections, evocative writing exercises, and inter-spiritual chanting as an awakened community.

With Michele McDonald and Steven Smith

April 24 - May 8, 2019

Cortes Island

Experience seven days practicing Metta and Vipassana meditation, followed by seven days of cultivating mindfulness. Develop compassionate awareness and a more loving heart with a unique integration of mindful movement.

With Michele McDonald and Steven Smith

May 10 - 12, 2019

Vancouver Venue TBA

Take a breath in the city through the practice of silent Vipassana (insight/mindfulness) and Metta (loving kindness) meditation. Join a connected community of new and experienced meditators. Enjoy guided meditations, sitting and walking sessions, Dhamma talks, and meditation instruction.

With Rachelle Lamb

May 17 - 22, 2019

Cortes Island

Learn a simple, creative approach to sustaining connection and addressing conflict. Through instruction, discussion, and practice, discover this potent and emotionally-intelligent language rooted in heart and conscience. For lovers, leaders, and cynics alike.

With Donna Martin and Georgia Marvin

May 17 - 22, 2019

Cortes Island

A body-centered and experiential form of psychotherapy, the Hakomi Method - created by Ron Kurtz - draws upon scientific, psychological, and spiritual knowledge to promote mindfulness, nonviolence, unity, and mind-body integration. Everyone welcome.

With Mark Lau, PhD and Andrea Grabovac, MD

May 31 - June 5, 2019

Cortes Island

Revitalize, restore, and build resilience during this Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) meditation retreat for physicians, health professionals, and their partners. This retreat includes teacher-guided mindfulness practice and discussion, with a focus on meditation technique. Drs. Lau and Grabovac, MBCT mentors with the UCSD Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute, also offer a 5-day MBCT Professional Training at Hollyhock, October 7-12.

With Kim Haxton

June 5 - 9, 2019

Cortes Island

IndigenEYEZ is about personal and cultural transformation. Strengthen your leadership skills through connection to self, others, land, and culture. This arts & land-based learning brings the wisdom of our Ancestors to this time of high need. Open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of all ages.

With Kim Haxton and Kris Archie

June 9 - 14, 2019

Cortes Island

Explore Indigenous concepts of land, place, and decolonization. Learn about decolonial practices (language, art, economics, gender) and the embodied knowledge of Indigenous peoples. Deconstruct what is considered valid “knowing,” so we can laterally liberate consciousness together.

With Day Schildkret

June 14 - 19, 2019

Cortes Island

Slow down, open to wonder, and listen to the language of the land. Explore the natural beauty of Cortes Island and create meaningful and mesmerizing land-based mandalas. Use this artistic practice to connect to your inner child, the timelessness of nature, and the wisdom of impermanence.

With Mara Branscombe

June 14 - 19, 2019

Cortes Island

Summer solstice honours the earth’s most dynamic time of expansion, growth, and abundance. Join the celebration with the art of breath, the healing of yoga, mindful meditation, and shamanic practices. Luminously integrate heart, body, and mind.

With Michael Moore

June 28 - July 3, 2019

Cortes Island

Learn to kayak safely and comfortably as you explore this place of exquisite natural beauty. Captain Mike’s 43-foot schooner takes you to a new destination each day to discover pristine scenery, fascinating wildlife, and remarkable local history. No experience required, everyone welcome. Limit of 12 participants.

With Pat Moffitt Cook, PhD

June 28 - July 2, 2019

Cortes Island

For centuries, civilizations have used mantra, chant, and melodic song to connect with nature and a “Divine Source”. Vedicism is one of the earliest practices to use the science of mantric language and sacred chant for healing and spiritual self-inquiry. Learn, listen, and practice this living, healing art of auditory stimulation.

With Megan Prager and Martin Thomson-Jones, PhD

June 28 - July 3, 2019

Cortes Island

Cultivate the skill of self-compassion in this empirically supported training program. Self-compassion is strongly associated with greater emotional well-being, less anxiety and depression, maintenance of healthy habits, and satisfying relationships.

With Alina Frank & Dr. Craig Weiner

July 3 - 7, 2019

Cortes Island

Find the “one” -- a life partner and best friend, pre-destined for you. Learn powerful steps to design, attract and keep your "happily ever after" in this first, behavioural program of its kind. With 16 years of success, this program is for people looking for monogamous, lifelong romantic partners. -- Alina Frank & Craig Weiner are the happily married founders of LearningtoFindLove.com.

With Pico Iyer

July 6, 2019

As the world accelerates to a post-human pace, how can we preserve our humanity, our sanity, our contact with everything essential? Reclaim life’s hidden luxuries, spaciousness, intimacy, and attention through stories, statistics, and specific daily practices. This program includes a keynote and a workshop on stillness. Pico Iyer is the best-selling author of a dozen books, including The Art of Stillness—the second book

With Bill Ophoff

July 7 - 12, 2019

Cortes Island

With birds and wildflowers at their vibrant peak, explore Cortes Island’s magnificent rainforest and teeming waters. Learn about the stars, the sea stars, and everything in between on this adventure of inspiring hikes, kayaking, beach walks, and a sailing excursion to Mitlenatch Island – the “Galapagos” of the Georgia Strait. Limit of 12 participants.

With Jody Holmes, PhD and Jonathan Godfrey

July 12 - 17, 2019

Cortes Island

Become RADICALLY ALIVE: present, whole, authentic, spontaneous. Through powerful group and individual healing processes, connect to your truth and strength, and allow your full potential to emerge. Live the life you long for. Continuing Education credits available.

With Devi Ward Erikson

July 12 - 16, 2019

Cortes Island

Tantra is an ancient spiritual science designed to activate, heal, and enrich every area of life. Learn practical and effective Tantric methods to cultivate a deeply sacred, utterly joyful, and profoundly pleasurable intimate connection - in and out of the bedroom.

With Amos Clifford and Christy Thomson

July 17 - 21, 2019

Cortes Island

Sink deeply into the medicine of the forest. Combining Forest Therapy (Shinrin-Yoku) and the Way of Council, embark on a healing encounter with the more-than-human world, and gain skills for council leadership.

With Phillip Moore

July 17 - 21, 2019

Cortes Island

Experience the new educational paradigm. Re-wire your brain to the domain of possibilities by embracing all methods of learning. Connect with nature through a set of experiences that awaken new ways of teaching and exploring through play, imagination, songs, stories, and expanded consciousness.

With Thomas Atum O'Kane, PhD

July 26 - 31, 2019

Cortes Island

Life changes are times of passion and opportunity. Working with teachings from Jungian psychology and various spiritual traditions, detach and break free from old roles and expectations. Ritual, reflection, and wisdom guide your journey and passage toward your new sense of self. Thomas Atum O’Kane, PhD, holds a doctorate degree in transpersonal psychology and is a former senior teacher in the Sufi Order International. atumokane.com

With Jen Craig-Evans

July 31 - August 4, 2019

Cortes Island

Experience the magical combination of stand up paddleboarding (SUP) and yoga. Move fluidly with the ocean beneath you and feel the invigorating saltwater breeze on your skin. Guided forest meditation walks and SUP yoga evokes relaxation and empowers you to move naturally. Prepare to be humbled, and to laugh. A lot.

With Rupert Sheldrake, Merlin Sheldrake and Cosmo Sheldrake

July 31 - August 4, 2019

Cortes Island

Science sheds new light on many spiritual practices, including rituals, pilgrimage, meditation, chanting, and rites of passage. Explore spiritual traditions and reconnect with the natural world through singing, listening, looking, telling stories, thinking, and having fun. Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, biologist and author, is joined by sons Merlin, PhD, and Cosmo. Full bios online. sheldrake.org

With David Abram

August 9 - 14, 2019

Cortes Island

Awaken your animal intelligence, shake your senses free from outmoded concepts and invigorate your felt experience. Through elemental encounters with the land, creaturely shapeshifting, and heartfelt conversation, open a new relationship between your body and the breathing earth. -- David Abram, cultural ecologist and geophilosopher, is author of The Spell of the Sensuous and Becoming Animal.

With Judith Ansara & Robert Gass

August 14 - 19, 2019

Cortes Island

Rediscover and deepen the joy, intimacy, and renewed aliveness of your loving partnership. Break free from negative patterns while learning practices of authenticity, self-responsibility, empathy, deep listening, problem solving, and sacred sexuality. Enjoy a deeply connecting time together and take home profound tools to support your life as a couple.

With Yarrow Willard

August 23 - 27, 2019

Cortes Island

Awaken the herbalist within and deepen your connection to the healing power of the natural world. Learn to recognize health and disease, stagnation, and flow as you sharpen your senses and build relationships with the medicinal plants, mushrooms, and seaweeds of the west coast.

With Thomas Atum O'Kane, PhD

August 23 - 28, 2019

Cortes Island

A Two-Year Training Program. Spiritual Guidance is an art, a gift and a calling that has been long practiced in contemplative traditions to support spiritual development and personal transformation. This in-depth training takes an interfaith approach while encompassing insights from transpersonal and Jungian psychology. -- Thomas Atum O’Kane, PhD, holds a doctorate degree in transpersonal psychology and is a former senior teacher in the Sufi Order International.

With Stephen Jenkinson

August 28 - September 1, 2019

Cortes Island

Contemplative sorrow: the kind that is courageous and willing to learn the trouble of its time in a way that principled anxiety is not. We might yet craft an eloquence that serves the terrible beauty we are about to bequeath to the young. For elders in training, young and old.

With Oriane Lee Johnston

September 1 - 4, 2019

Cortes Island

Being in the presence of horses rebalances us by bringing the energy fields of our hearts and brains into a state of coherence. Experience guided body meditations in the field, and enjoy up-close connection and joyful play with horses. Everyone welcome. Limit of 12 participants.

With Hollyhock Leadership Institute

September 1 - 6, 2019

Cortes Island

In these times of growing uncertainty, climate change, and social upheaval, it can be difficult to hold our centre and maintain hope. Explore tools to strengthen your capacity for cultivating joy, acceptance, and collective action. Foster the personal and community resilience needed to face these unprecedented times, boldly and creatively.

With Robert Schwartz

September 7 - 8, 2019

Vancouver

What soul plan did you make before you were born? What circumstances and relationships did you choose and why? Find the answers in a “Between Lives Soul Regression,” along with insight, healing, and a greater capacity for joy. Recognize life’s challenges as the great teachers and healers your soul intended them to be. Robert Schwartz is an international speaker and author of Your Soulʼs Plan and Your Soulʼs Gift. yoursoulsplan.com

With Farah Nazarali

September 29 - October 3, 2019

Cortes Island

Bridge the inner practices of yoga, Buddhism, and meditation with the outer relational skills of nonviolent communication and conflict resolution. Use body, mind, and speech to envision peace, communicate with courage, and contribute to a fair and just future for all.

With Paul Heussenstamm

September 29 - October 3, 2019

Cortes Island

The practice of painting sacred art and mandalas is healing, meditative, spiritual, and joyful. Reveal the deep inner patterns that connect you to your soul and transform your everyday consciousness into the artist within. No experience required. -- Paul Heussenstamm is a fourth generation artist, well-known teacher, and creator of more than 2,000 unique spiritual paintings.

With Mark Lau, PhD and Andrea Grabovac, MD

October 7 - 12, 2019

Take your next step on the transformative journey to becoming an MBCT teacher. MBCT is an empirically validated group program designed to prevent depressive relapse. For mental health professionals. Pre-approval required. Drs. Lau and Grabovac, MBCT mentors with the UCSD Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute, also offer an MBCT Retreat for Health Professionals at Hollyhock, May 31-June 5.

With Robert Beatty

October 12 - 17, 2019

Cortes Island

Wake up from the trance of everyday life. You are not your moods, anxiety, compulsions, past wounds, or addictions. Awaken to the freedom, love, compassion, and joy that is your natural state. This program is held in silence (except sessions) — common areas on campus are shared spaces. -- Robert Beatty MES, MSW, is a Buddhist meditation teacher of 35+ years.

With Paul Stamets, D.Sc (Hon.)

October 17 - 21, 2019

Cortes Island

Save the world, one mushroom at a time. Fungi offer powerful, practical solutions to enhance both human and ecosystem health. Roam the wilds of Cortes Island and learn mushroom identification, easy-to-grow cultivation methods, as well as various culinary and medicinal applications. -- Paul Stamets, D.Sc., is a renowned, award-winning mycologist. The Star Trek Discovery series recently named a character - Astromycologist Starfleet Lt. Commander Stamets - in his honour.

With Dr. Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté

November 22 - 24, 2019

Vancouver

Explore what it takes to outgrow and transform old dynamics in parent/adult-child relationships. Clear the way for a new relationship grounded in authenticity and mutual compassion, unencumbered by what came before. -- Dr. Gabor Maté is the author of 4 bestselling books published in 25 languages, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, and recipient of the Order of Canada. Daniel Maté is an award-winning theatre composer and lyricist who also runs a popular "mental chiropractic" service.

Hollyhock sits on the traditional territories of the Klahoose, Tla’amin, Homalco Nations. We are committed to renewing our relationships with the First Nations peoples on whose territories we are guests.

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Hollyhock is a registered not-for-profit and relies on philanthropic support to help fund programming development, accessibility, and campus sustainability.